In the run-up to April Fool’s Day, a group of midwives touched upon a topic that they felt was no joking matter: that of fake pregnancy announcements.
This is because “one in four of your friends has lost a baby” and the subject can still touch a raw nerve.
It says: “One in four of your friends will have lost a baby and one in six will be suffering from infertility.
“Pregnancy is not a joke, be more creative this April Fools.”
Liz Wilkes, managing director of My Midwives, told Femail: “Women can be quite fragile around the issue of pregnancy and something like a joke pregnancy announcement can end up being a painful reminder of something they are struggling with.
“Women who are experiencing fertility issues, have had a miscarriage or have had to terminate a pregnancy may have had to keep this to themselves, will be feeling emotional.
“To see something like [a joke announcement] on Instagram of Facebook is really disrespectful.”
Around one in eight pregnancies in the UK end in miscarriage, says the NHS.
A woman named Kayla Lee Welsh took to Facebook in 2016 to explain just why the gag is not so funny.
She wrote: “This is why your April fool’s joke isn’t funny.
“This is why it’s not funny to lie and joke about being pregnant. This is what it looks like to have a miscarriage.
“A week ago today I started spotting. I convinced myself it was normal because I did it with Keegan. This time it wasn’t.
“I avoid laying down to go to sleep because as soon as I hit the bed I’m alone with all of my thoughts. My brain has finally stopped distracting itself from the one thing breaking my heart.
“And all I can do is cry. My eyes are so swollen and dark it looks like more than just my heart is broken.
“Crying so hard that you go numb and feel nothing anymore.
“Trying to be happy that your baby never knew anything other than love.
“And missing someone so dearly that you never even met.
“It’s a pain no one can describe. Because how can you properly grieve someone you never got to meet?
“Please think twice before you post that April fool’s joke. Because what’s funny for a second in your eyes crushes someone else’s heart for eternity.”
In 2017, Kayla shared that she was pregnant again but was always afraid.
She wrote: “Every single time I’ve gone to the bathroom this pregnancy I brace myself for the blood. Every single damn time.
“It set in such a deep pain that I pray every night and every morning to just let him be ok, God please don’t take him.
“People genuinely don’t understand how awful miscarriage is and that’s because no one talks about it but how is that fair to the mother trying to grieve the child she never met?
“People don’t understand you don’t heal from this no matter when you lost your child the pain never heals and the people around you never know because opening up is so damn scary.”
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